Carlos Sainz’s Australian Grand Prix was over almost before it began on Sunday in Melbourne, but the Williams charger turned a fleeting race into a lasting impact.
After spinning out on the opening lap, Sainz didn’t sulk – he swapped his helmet for a headset and took a front-row seat on his team’s pitwall.
There, he immersed himself in the team’s strategic discussions, lending his expertise to support Albon’s race. As it turned out, his insights would be instrumental when critical decisions had to be made amid shifting weather conditions at Albert Park.
A Short-Lived Race, A Long-Lasting Contribution
Sainz’s day unraveled fast. Starting 10th, he was poised for a solid run until the Safety Car rolled out after Jack Doohan’s Alpine kissed the barriers.
As the field crawled, Sainz lost control at the final corner, spinning into retirement. Williams pinned it on a gearbox quirk.
“It’s slightly odd, so we have to go through it more,” team principal James Vowles told Sky Sports F1.
“Effectively it was an upshift on part-throttle, but there was more torque than he would have expected at that point.”
Most drivers might have called it a day, but Sainz stayed put, embedding himself with the engineers on the Williams gantry to monitor Albon’s charge.
The Anglo-Thai racer, starting sixth, held seventh early on a drying track, sandwiched between Yuki Tsunoda’s VCARB and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
The trio pitted for slicks on lap 33, maintaining their order. Then came the game-changer: a lap-44 cloudburst that forced a tyre dilemma. Sainz’s voice cut through the uncertainty, proving decisive.
Sainz’s Strategic Edge Shines
As rain lashed the circuit, Williams faced a now-or-never call – stick with slicks or dive for intermediates? Albon was third into the pits behind Lando Norris and George Russell, a move Sainz championed.
“The pitstops were absolutely on point, the strategy – well done to them,” Vowles said.
“One point to note on the strategy is that we had an additional strategist today, which was Carlos. Carlos, his insight was incredibly useful on that transition to the inter.
You saw a number of teams – ‘We’re not sure, do we try and hang it out?’ and Carlos was adamant: ‘You won’t survive on that in the last few corners’. And he was spot on. He helped drive us towards that.”
Sainz’s foresight was gold. Ferrari gambled by keeping Hamilton and Charles Leclerc out, while Tsunoda lingered on slicks for three more laps.
The track turned treacherous, validating Sainz’s call. Albon, already up a spot after Piastri’s spin, leapt past Leclerc and Tsunoda as their teams relented.
He held fourth until Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli nipped by with two laps left, but the damage to Ferrari was done – Albon finished ahead of both red cars.
From a lap-zero exit to a pitwall masterstroke, Sainz flipped his Melbourne misfortune into a showcase of savvy.
Vowles couldn’t praise him enough, and Albon’s result – bolstered by a teammate’s quick thinking – underscored Williams’ gain.
Sainz may have missed the race, but he didn’t miss his chance to shine.
Read also: Norris masters chaos to beat Verstappen to Australian GP win
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